Atlantic Football League
 | |
| Sport | Canadian football |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2009 |
| First season | 2009 |
| Commissioner | Larry Wisniewski |
| No. of teams | Four teams |
| Country | Canada |
| Most recent champion(s) | Dalhousie Tigers |
| Most titles | UNBF Red Bombers (5) Dalhousie Tigers (5) |
| Official website | atlanticfootball.co |
The Atlantic Football League (AFL) is an amateur club-level Canadian football league that features four teams based in Atlantic Canada. The league is for players aged 18–24 that either attend universities without U Sports football programs or for players in the area.[1][2] Since member teams operate as club teams (and not varsity teams), they do not receive funding from their universities. Some players eventually join U Sports programs and all Canadian players are eligible to join Canadian Football League teams.
On June 9, 2020, the league announced that they had cancelled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada.[3]
On September 21, 2024, Ella Lord became the first woman to play in the league, playing for the UNB Reds.[4]
Season structure
[edit]There are currently four teams in the league and each team plays six games with each team hosting the other once.[5] The top three teams currently qualify for the playoffs with the top seed earning a bye. The finalists then qualify for the league championship game, the Moosehead Cup.
Teams
[edit]Active teams
[edit]| Team | City | Stadium | Founded (Lineage) | Moosehead Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalhousie Tigers | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Wickwire Field | 2010 (1947–76) | 5 |
| Holland Hurricanes | Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island | MacAdam Field | 2010 | 4 |
| UNBF Red Bombers | Fredericton, New Brunswick | BMO Centre | 2009 (1949–80) | 5 |
| Saint John Falcons | Saint John, New Brunswick | Canada Games Stadium | 2024 | 0 |
Defunct teams
[edit]| Team | City | Stadium | Existence | Moosehead Cups |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moncton Jr. Mustangs | Moncton, New Brunswick | Rocky Stone Field | 2009–10 | 0 |
| UNBSJ Seawolves | Saint John, New Brunswick | Canada Games Stadium | 2009 | 1 |
Championships
[edit]| Game | Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | November 21, 2009 | UNBF Red Bombers | 3–1 | UNBSJ Seawolves |
| 2nd | November 20, 2010 | UNBSJ Seawolves | 40–6 | Dalhousie Tigers |
| 3rd | November 19, 2011 | Holland Hurricanes | 28–0 | UNBF Red Bombers |
| 4th | November 3, 2012 | UNBF Red Bombers | 14–7 | Holland Hurricanes |
| 5th | November 2, 2013 | Holland Hurricanes | 20–12 | UNBSJ Seawolves |
| 6th | November 1, 2014 | Holland Hurricanes | 31–15 | UNBSJ Seawolves |
| 7th | November 7, 2015 | Holland Hurricanes | 32–24 | Dalhousie Tigers |
| 8th | November 5, 2016 | Dalhousie Tigers | 29–11 | Holland Hurricanes |
| 9th | November 4, 2017 | UNBF Red Bombers | 39–35 | Dalhousie Tigers |
| 10th | November 3, 2018 | Dalhousie Tigers | 27–3 | Holland Hurricanes |
| 11th | November 2, 2019 | UNBF Red Bombers | 29–26 | Holland Hurricanes |
| 12th | November 6, 2021 | Dalhousie Tigers | 40–14 | UNBF Red Bombers |
| 13th | November 5, 2022 | Dalhousie Tigers | 27–26 | UNBF Red Bombers |
| 14th | November 11, 2023 | UNBF Red Bombers | 31–28 | Dalhousie Tigers |
| 15th | November 2, 2024 | Dalhousie Tigers | 48–23 | UNBF Red Bombers |
References
[edit]- ^ "Atlantic Football League (AFL) expands by 2 teams". Canada Football Chat. March 23, 2010.
- ^ "New football league kicks off in N.B." Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. September 26, 2009.
- ^ "Atlantic Football League Cancels 2020 Season". Atlantic Football League. June 9, 2020.
- ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20241009002132/https://tj.news/saint-john-south/female-receiver-catches-on-with-atlantic-football-league-reds
- ^ "Schedule 2024". Atlantic Football League. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
- ^ "Atlantic Football League". Archived from the original on 2017-02-22. Retrieved 2017-02-22.
- ^ "Atlantic Football League Schedule". Atlantic Football League. Retrieved June 6, 2021.